Use of Budget
$3,000 is a really good price for a feature-length film, especially when one considers that two thirds of that was used just to rent the cameras. The director and producer were able to borrow the rest of the equipment, and used the rest of the budget for tapes, gas, and food. Though the monetary budgeting was quite good on this film, it seems that more time should have been spent on a more concise script, and better tightening in the editing room. Sometimes it’s just as simple as handing off the script to a friend or asking them to come in and view a rough cut. Also, it would’ve been good to have an ND filter and a tripod on hand.
An additional hurdle to this film being made at this time and for this budget was the fact that it was nearly finished early due to Hurricane Isabel. But rather than shut down production, the crew decided to continue shooting, even without power. Its situations like this that can make or break a microfilmmaker – do you cut your losses and try again in a couple of years with more money, or suck it up and keep going? It takes a lot of guts to take that risk, but that these filmmaker chose to do so is very commendable.
Lasting Appeal
This film is all about life in a small town. How people like T.K. are suited for it because they can rule the roost, but for people like Bo or Paige it has become a suffocated dead-end that they are desperate to escape.
There are some great visual aspects to this film, good acting, and some nice use of music. However, an audience might soon get bored with the rambling aspect of the movie. On the one hand this might tie in with the overall concept, but there are far too many extraneous scenes, an unclear storyline, and characters that aren’t introduced until halfway through. It’s a good story concept, but it needs a lot more tightening and re-editing in order to make it easier for the audience to understand and enjoy.
Overall Comment
Big Fish in Middlesex does a good job at portraying the way that life just seems to drag on in a place like Middlesex; how so many people are doomed to stay there forever, how some want to leave but cannot, and how even those who do leave somehow end up coming back. Despite a few story issues, this film still has a definite personal touch that makes it very unique.
